1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to flashlights and, more particularly, is concerned with a flashlight capable of using different size batteries.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional flashlights typically include an elongated barrel portion for gripping by the hand of a user and a head portion for holding a flashlight bulb. The head portion is threaded onto one end of the barrel portion. Such conventional flashlights are powered by two or more drycell batteries connected in series and housed within the barrel portion. The barrel portion includes a tail cap at the opposite end which must be removed in order to replace the batteries.
Also, the barrel portion mounts a switching mechanism near the head portion having a movable contact for making and breaking an electrical circuit extending from a terminal of the battery in the barrel portion to the flashlight bulb mounted to the head portion. The movable contact of the switching mechanism can slide fore and aft along the exterior of the barrel portion so as to be brought into contact with or displaced from contact with a pair of spaced terminals of the electrical circuit of the flashlight located adjacent the switching mechanism.
The head portion of the flashlight includes a parabolic-shaped reflector which has a central opening through which the flashlight bulb is mounted. When the head portion is threaded onto the barrel portion, the reflector butts up against and makes electrical contact with an end of one of the stationary terminal of the electrical circuit located adjacent to one side of the switching mechanism. The electrical circuit also includes a conductor coil spring mounted in the end cap of the flashlight so as to electrically engage and force the batteries forwardly into electrical contact with the rear terminal end of the flashlight bulb.
Conventional flashlights of this type have one significant disadvantage. The barrel portion of the flashlight is designed to accommodate and contain drycell batteries of only one given size (diameter and length). As a result, should one battery be used up or defective the flashlight will be rendered inoperative until a replacement battery of the same size can be obtained. Consequently, a need still remains for improvements in the design of a conventional flashlight of this type so as to overcome the above-described disadvantage.